Newcastle United 'plan swoop' for German record-breaker who is 'available for £12m'

Newcastle United are working hard to recruit some of the finest youngsters in European football this summer.

Last week it was revealed by NewcastleWorld that the club are working on a deal for 16-year-old Blackburn ace Rory Finneran - and he may well be joined at St James’ Park by another youngster in Assan Ouédraogo, according to reports from TeamTalk.

Ouédraogo is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in German football and is a product of the highly-esteemed Schalke academy.

The 18-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder, lauded for his excellent creativity, dribbling and goal scoring ability. He has represented Germany 17 times at U17 level and has been a part of a talented young team which lifted both the European Championships and the World Cup in 2023.

The youngster, who also qualifies for Burkina Faso through his parents, made his first team breakthrough this season for second-tier side Schalke and made a great impression during his 17 appearances as he scored three goals and provided two assists.

Reports from Germany state that Newcastle have been keeping a close eye on the youngster for a number of months and they are said to be ‘hot’ on the Schalke ace who is already the subject of interest from numerous Premier League clubs. Schalke are currently struggling with financial difficulties behind the scenes and it is reported that they are looking for a figure of around £12m for Ouédraogo.

Ouédraogo’s father told Sky Germany: “We have a valid contract with Schalke and won’t make any hasty decisions. The next step is incredibly important for his personal and footballing development. The financial aspect isn’t crucial, but primarily the idea and trust of the future coach and those responsible. We continue to work together with Schalke to find a great solution for the club and for Assan. I can assure you of that.

“We haven’t yet made a commitment to any club. What we can confirm is that we have received a number of written offers. Not just from Bayern. Many clubs, especially from the Premier League, have dealt very intensively with Assan. There are teams from England who would like to sign Assan directly for their professional team in the summer. We will make the right decision soon.”

In recent months Newcastle have built a reputation for developing young talents as we have seen through the progress of both Lewis Miley and Elliot Anderson.

The club has also signed the likes of Cathal Heffernan, Yankuba Minteh, Garang Kuol, Alex Murphy and Alfie Harrison with a view to developing them into first team players in the near future in the past.